


Trust

by WastelanderCamo



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Mild Spoilers for Deacon's max affinity dialogue, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-17
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-05-14 10:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5740591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WastelanderCamo/pseuds/WastelanderCamo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deacon shouldn't let Bullseye read magazines before bed. He should definitely not let her use them to quiz him about their relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trust

Deacon tugged at the bunker door one last time, making sure it was fully closed and sealed. He could hear the wind whistling at the seams and, even though he knew he couldn’t, he felt like he could smell the glowing sea. But that nightmare was far away. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. How Bullseye had managed to insulate such thin fabric was beyond him, but this was the first rad storm in a long time that didn’t make his stomach turn. He walked back to the barracks where he had left them. Bullseye had cleared off the two most comfortable looking bunks, making a neat little pile of bones and debris in a corner. She had already pulled off her boots and had flung her socks over the headboard, a weird pre war habit he had tried to tease her about. Instead he had ended up getting a lecture on foot care. That had been a…strange night. Much like this one. No watch to set, no perimeter to secure, just a quiet night. Alone. Together. She was sitting crosslegged on top of her sheets, nose buried in a magazine. Two teddy bears were on the bed beside her.

“Aw, are you going to be lonely since we get separate beds?” He grinned, sitting on the edge of the bed opposite to unlace his boots.

“Pillows” she shrugged, not looking up from her magazine. Live and Love.

“You’re going to use a teddy bear as a pillow?”

She looked over the tattered edge of the page with a twinkle in her eye, “I’m going to use TWO teddy bears as a pillow” She grinned at him. He chuckled and pulled off his socks.

“Hey Deacon?”

“Whatcha need, buddy?”

“Would you say you let me ‘participate in activities your other partners would find too threatening’?”

“Well you are one of the Railroad’s best heavies” He looked up to see her make a note in the magazine with a broken pencil. What was she up to now? He would play along. Seemed harmless.

“Would you agree or disagree with this statement: ‘Though times may change and the future is uncertain, my partner will always be ready and willing to offer me strength and support.’” She was looking at him from over the paper, he was sure, but he rummaged through his pack for a can of water to avoid it. He had made a mistake.

“I suppose I agree, unless there’s something I should know” he said after a long pause. The pencil scratched something down. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up. He didn’t know if it was the storm or the growing uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. She was looking back down again, thank god. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her. As if she were going to attack him at any moment. Uncoil from the ball on the bed and put that pencil right through his eye and

“Whenever we have to make an important decision in a situation we have never encountered before, I know my partner will be concerned about my welfare.”

“You do the talking. I’ll let you know what I see” he repeated what he told her when they began all this. How long ago was that? It seemed like forever. She blessed him by not looking up. There was a heat on the back of his neck.

“When I am with my partner, I feel secure in facing unknown new situations”

“Agree” He didn’t even hesitate; it just fell off his lips.

“Even when my partner makes excuses which sound rather unlikely, I am confident that they are telling the truth” The pencil was moving. Why did he keep answering? The rain was static in his ears. Why was he telling her this. He was going to get himself into trouble. With who?

“You’re a terrible liar, Bullseye” His voice sounded far away.

“Even if I have no reason to expect my partner to share things with me, I still feel certain that they will”

“Yeah….you have. You will” His throat was dry, but both his hands were too busy throttling the water can to bring it to his lips. She looked up at him then. He lifted one hand, used a finger to push up the bridge of his glasses. They were still there. Good. The panic was hidden. He could feel the knot in his chest loosen. It was just a silly quiz from an ancient magazine, there was nothing it could do to –

“Even when I don’t know how my partner will react, I feel comfortable telling them anything about myself, even those things of which I am ashamed” She hadn’t stopped staring at him. She hadn’t even needed to read it off the page. What the fuck. That wasn’t fair. He could feel the blush he had tried so hard to fight back creep over his cheeks. He knew the answer. Of course he did. He knew exactly what these questions were about. He just…couldn’t acknowledge the answer. There was a loud crack. The lighting flickered. She looked away and he could breathe again. It was the chance he needed. He plastered on a grin and leaned back against the wall, the cold cement grounded him.

“Who, me? There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m as pure as a daisy” He was a great liar. She giggled and went back to her magazine. Wrote down some things. And some more things.

“How did I do?” His voice was light and playful. Good.

“5 out of 7”

“And that means…”

The twinkle was back in her eye. She was grinning like a cat that caught a fat bloatfly.

“It means…” She cleared her throat, straightened up and held the magazine out in front of her, reading from it, “you have a moderate tendency to trust. Your responses suggest that you trust your partner and believe that they are somewhat honest and dependable. You have faith in your relationship as a whole. However, when you or your relationship faces difficulties, you may wonder whether your partner will be responsive and caring enough. If you nurture your trust, research suggests you’re more likely to have longer, happier, and more stable relationships.” She looked at him and wiggled an eyebrow “Don’t trust anyone, ey?”

He laughed. Honestly laughed.

“Yeah buddy, I trust you not to stab me in my sleep for my comics collection. Or sell me off to some raiders who only want me for my body. To eat.” She giggled at that. He liked making her laugh. She stood up.

“I’m going to check on the terminal. Make sure that lightning didn’t hit any turrets.” The terminal was on the other side of the bunker. He nodded.

“Sounds good,” He sat for a moment “Hey! What did you score?” He called after her. She wouldn’t have made him take it without taking it first.

“7 out of 7” Her voice was far away, but clear.

He buried his face in his hands. God damn it, _God damn it_. There was a pillow on his bed. He had noticed as soon as he came in. And not the rough straw monstrosities so common in places like this but a nice, bright white, clean comfy pillow. He laid flat and breathed it in. It didn’t even smell of mold or sweat. She must have lifted it from a vault. God damn it. He was going to tell her. He knew he was. He had known a week ago when they were passing Ticon and she had stopped to check on one of the transfers. He knew three days ago at Finch farm when she was explaining crop rotation and stopped to snipe a Gunner who had been about to shoot a Brahmin. He knew this morning when he woke up to mirelurk egg and hubflower tea. He knew it now, listening to her footsteps get closer and closer. He would tell her about University Point. He would tell her about the Deathclaws. He would tell her about Barbara. God help him if she thought he was lying.

**Author's Note:**

> A full version of the idea [started here](http://wastelandercamo.tumblr.com/post/137394168838/guys-the-sosu-asks-deacon-all-the-questions-from) and [here.](http://wastelandercamo.tumblr.com/post/137391566513/vaultt-tec-live-love-i-like-to-imagine)
> 
> It makes me unreasonably happy to see people reacting to my work. If you like it, let me know!
> 
>  
> 
> In the grand scheme of things, this would happen about a week or two prior to "Too Late". Yeah, they're the slow burning idiot types


End file.
